DRAWING NEAR
As you look back at each of the studies from Joshua, Judges, and Ruth, what is the one thing that stood out to you the most? What is one new perspective you have learned?
[Your Response]
THE CONTEXT
We have covered a large span of time in Israel’s history in the previous eleven studies, and we have met many memorable people along the way. The encouraging thing to recognize is that these were real people, and we have seen them just as they were—blemishes and all. What’s more, they were confronted by real life. Sometimes they faced life’s more dramatic events, and sometimes they faced everyday routine.
Many of these individuals proved faithful to God, but some did not. Yet one theme that has remained constant throughout is that God is always faithful. Some of the characters we’ve met (such as Ruth) trusted Him implicitly, while some (such as Samson) were prone to trust only themselves, but God remained faithful to His word and His people from beginning to end. If you come away with only one thought from these studies, let it be this: God is always faithful.
Here are a few of the major themes we have found. There are many more that we don’t have room to reiterate, so take some time to review the earlier studies—or, better still, to meditate on the passages of Scripture we have covered. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom and insight into His Word. He will not refuse.
EXPLORING THE MEANING
God cannot be deceived. Prior to the Israelites taking Jericho, the Lord had told Joshua to not touch any of the possessions in the city (see Joshua 6:18–19). Achan understood this command, but he believed he could take just a few small items without any consequences. He then buried those stolen items in the ground beneath his tent—an excellent hiding place if ever there was one. Achan and his family actually believed they could hide their sin from God.
The fact is, they did succeed in hiding their sin from other people. It would appear that nobody outside of Achan’s family was aware of the stolen property, and Joshua confidently led the army into battle in the belief that all was well. But the Lord knew what Achan had done, and He was not willing to overlook the transgression. All sin, no matter how small in the world’s eyes, is an abhorrent offense in the eyes of God.
It may be easy to hide our sins from the people around us, but we can never hide them from God. He calls us to purify our lives from every sin and confess them openly before Him. “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life” (Galatians 6:7–8).
Covetousness is the same as idolatry. Achan was motivated by covetousness. He confessed it was his own eyes that led him into sin: he saw beautiful things in Jericho, and he coveted them in his heart. What he coveted, he also took; and what he took, he ultimately hid.
It is not a sin to admire beautiful things, but it is a sin to covet them. To covet is to lust for something—to fix one’s mind on material possessions or financial gain. We begin to covet when we long to possess something that does not belong to us, or we become absorbed with getting what we don’t have. Achan did not sin when he noticed that the garment in Jericho was lovely; he sinned when he determined that he had to own it, in spite of God’s prohibitions.
When we covet, we fix our hearts on material goods, and those desires begin to drive our thoughts, actions, and attitudes. In this way, the thing we covet becomes like a god to us—an “idol” in our lives. The Lord wants us to fix our eyes on Him alone and turn them away from the things of this world. “Put to death . . . covetousness, which is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5).
God can literally move heaven and earth to accomplish His purposes. Or, to speak more accurately, the Lord will cause the earth and heavens (the atmosphere) to not move. In order for the sun to “stand still,” as we read in Joshua 10, the earth itself would have had to stop revolving on its axis—and this is evidently what the Lord did for the Israelites that momentous day. He literally caused the earth to stop for a period of hours simply so that His people might have victory in battle.
The Lord went beyond even this “earthshaking” miracle when He moved heaven itself—the abode of God—to send His Son to earth as a man. He temporarily set aside the laws of biology and caused a virgin to become pregnant with the Son of God. More than this, He permitted His Holy One to take on the sin of mankind; He caused the One who is Life to taste death; He subjected the Creator to the whims of those He had created. He did all this so we might be reconciled with Himself.
If God was willing to do all of this for the sake of sinful people in the past, He will certainly prove faithful in meeting our present needs. Some problems may be too great to resolve in our power, but there is no problem too great for God. He will move heaven and earth to show Himself faithful to His people.
Do not be afraid, but be strong and of good courage. This commandment appears frequently in the book of Joshua—usually at times when there seemed to be genuine cause for fear. Prior to one battle, the army of Israel had marched all night long, uphill, carrying all their gear for battle (see Joshua 10). They arrived to face not one but five enemy armies, and they were tired before the battle even began. Yet the Lord commanded His people to not give in to fear.
Fear is the enemy of God’s people. It moves us away from faith and toward disobedience. In a previous encounter, the people of Israel had arrived at the Jordan River, ready to take possession of the Promised Land. But their spies had brought back a discouraging report: there were giants in the land—and fortified cities! The people yielded to fear and disobeyed the Lord. As a result, that entire generation was doomed to die in the wilderness without entering the land of Canaan (see Numbers 13–14).
We are commanded to resist fear, which demonstrates fear is something we can master. This is done by shifting our focus away from the situation that threatens us and focusing on the Lord who redeems us. He is absolutely sovereign over all our affairs, and He is completely faithful to save His people. If He was willing to make the sun stand still for Israel’s army, He will be willing to intervene in our lives as well.
Do not fall into a cycle of sin and repentance. The people of Israel disobeyed the Lord’s command to drive out the Canaanites, which led them into idolatry and immorality. The Lord responded by sending hardship on them as a form of discipline and to urge them to return to obedience and purity. The oppression of enemies and other calamities forced Israel to repent and return to the Lord, and He graciously sent judges to lead them back to obedience. But after a time, the people lost interest in the things of God and soon fell into sin again.
This cycle was not pleasing to God. He wants His people to obey Him willingly and worship Him voluntarily, with whole hearts. God will send discipline into our lives to make us purer and more like Christ, but His desire is for us to obey Him out of love and gratitude rather than by the compulsion of hardship. It is a mark of spiritual maturity to obey God’s Word simply because we know it pleases and glorifies the Father.
Christians are to obey God’s commands, not to negotiate for a “better deal.” Barak was the leader of Israel’s military, and as such he was likely accustomed to having his commands obeyed without argument. After all, a good soldier never talks back to a commanding officer—he carries out the commands without comment. It was all the more startling, therefore, when Barak countermanded the direct orders of his Commanding Officer—God Himself.
Picture a general commanding a soldier to move into battle and the soldier responding, “I will go into battle only if you come with me; if you will not come with me, I won’t go.” That soldier’s career would be short. Yet how much more audacious it is when we try to find ways around simple obedience to God’s Word! We do this when we obey only partway, or tell ourselves we will begin to obey tomorrow, or ignore the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
The Lord wants His people to obey His Word with willing hearts—not by compulsion. We cannot experience the Lord’s full blessing in our lives unless we willingly obey His commands. As Deborah sang, “When the people willingly offer themselves, bless the LORD!” (Judges 5:2).
Ask God for guidance, but don’t put Him to the test. The Scriptures abound with men and women who were faced with difficult circumstances or decisions and turned to the Lord for guidance. Jesus urged His disciples to seek the Father’s will in all things, teaching them to pray, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). Today, Christians receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, whose role in part is to guide us into all truth (see John 16:13). There is no excuse for putting God to the test in order to receive direction.
Of course, this was not what Gideon was really doing when he put out his fleeces in Judges 6. The Lord had already given him guidance and told him exactly what to do—but Gideon was afraid. He feared the Lord would not keep His promises, so he sought miraculous verification of God’s faithfulness. The Lord had repeatedly proven Himself faithful throughout Israel’s history—parting the Jordan River for them to cross, bringing down the walls of Jericho, giving His people one victory after another against powerful enemies—and Gideon should have rested in faith that He would keep His word once again.
Modern Christians also have a record of God’s faithfulness through the ages. We learn of it throughout the Bible as we read the testimonies of those who walked with God in the past. If we live in light of God’s Word and obey the truth He has revealed to us in Scripture, we can do so with confidence, knowing God will be faithful in the present just as He has been in the past.
Jesus is our Kinsman Redeemer. Ruth was doomed to a life of poverty, bereft of property and kin. There was nothing she could do to change her circumstances, and her only hope lay in the hands of a stranger who had little to gain from a marriage to her. Yet Boaz voluntarily rose to the call of duty and took on himself the full responsibility of caring for his relatives. What’s more, he was in love with Ruth! He did not marry her in a grumbling spirit of obligation but with a joyful, enthusiastic attitude.
Boaz provides us with a small picture of Christ in His role as our Redeemer. We were without hope, without inheritance, without a future, and there was nothing we could do to change that grim picture. Yet Jesus took on Himself the full responsibility of caring for us, and He is preparing a place for us as His bride for all eternity. He did this voluntarily, not out of any compulsion—even to the point of willingly dying on the cross.
Best of all, Jesus loves us! He was willing to die on the cross because He yearned for our fellowship and longed to be reunited with His fallen creatures. He knows us intimately, even to numbering the very hairs of our heads, and He delights in our company. He is our joyful Redeemer, the One who bought us back with His own blood—and freely chose to do so.
UNLEASHING THE TEXT
1) Which of the concepts or principles in this study have you found to be the most encouraging? Why?
[Your Response]
2) Which of the concepts or principles have you found most challenging? Why?
[Your Response]
3) What aspects of “walking with God” are you already doing in your life? Which areas need strengthening?
[Your Response]
4) To which of the characters that we’ve studied have you most been able to relate? How might you emulate that person in your own life?
[Your Response]
PERSONAL RESPONSE
5) Have you taken a definite stand for Jesus Christ? Have you accepted His free gift of salvation? If not, what is preventing you from doing so?
[Your Response]
6) In what areas of your life have you been most convicted during this study? What exact things will you do to address these convictions? Be specific.
[Your Response]
7) What have you learned about the character of God during this study? How has this insight affected your worship or prayer life?
[Your Response]
8) What are some specific things you want to see God do in your life in the coming month? What are some things you intend to change in your own life during that time? (Return to this list in one month and hold yourself accountable to fulfill these things.)
[Your Response]
If you would like to continue in your study of the Old Testament, read the next title in this series: 1 Samuel: The Lives of Samuel and Saul.
[Your Response]